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Glittering City
'"Forget all your fears now. Have a fling this night"'
Untrustworthy, charming Fussy Joe spins stories and breaks hearts in this rollicking story set in the 'sensational city' of 1960s Lagos.
Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
Untrustworthy, charming Fussy Joe spins stories and breaks hearts in this rollicking story set in the 'sensational city' of 1960s Lagos.
Penguin Modern: fifty new books celebrating the pioneering spirit of the iconic Penguin Modern Classics series, with each one offering a concentrated hit of its contemporary, international flavour. Here are authors ranging from Kathy Acker to James Baldwin, Truman Capote to Stanislaw Lem and George Orwell to Shirley Jackson; essays radical and inspiring; poems moving and disturbing; stories surreal and fabulous; taking us from the deep South to modern Japan, New York's underground scene to the farthest reaches of outer space.
52 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
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669 people want to read
About the author
Cyprian Ekwensi
55 books140 followersCyprian Odiatu Duaka Ekwensi was a novelist famous for his Jaguar Nana series and many others. He wrote for children under the name C.O.D. Ekwensi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
October 4, 2023
Now, listen! Forget all your fears now. Have a fling this night. You see? Life is short and must be enjoyed.
O that restless, vibrant and tempting big town life that with its bedazzling lustre and bustling energy sucks in gullible and innocuous newcomers, ingénues coming from the rural areas, young women falling into the ostensibly loving but actually preying arms of the night – a boisterous biotope where hagglers and scroungers thrive, men like Fussy Joe, taking his stand at the station to seize his chance.
Set in the city of Lagos in the 1960s – the Glittering City from the title – this novella by the prolific Nigerian author Cyprian Ekwensi (1921-2007) - considered to be one of the fathers of the modern West African novel - was first published in 1966.
Basically it is a jazzy and slightly melodramatic story about the life and downfall of (depending on your point of view) an inveterate filou, or rather a voyou, a trickster with some thuggish features, dancing through life swindling in shady businesses and playing the trumpet in night clubs, lying and deceiving all and sundry, also his wife and son, his fellow musicians, gallivanting from one mistress to another flirt, seducing and exploiting these women with a smile.
The hectic, fast-paced rhythm, the fine evocation of the lively chaos, intensity and noise of the city and the seamy nocturnal nightclub atmosphere together with some scenes reminiscing of Godard’s A bout the souffle are what gives the story a cinematic tone and dynamic feel; somewhat irking were the blind adoration of the women for this windbag of a protagonist, making fools of themselves by flying at each other because of him, and I have to admit I was unable to sympathize with the protagonist starring in his empty life, his irresistible attractiveness as depicted by Ekwensi left me cold. I see little more in him than the proverbial grasshopper from the fable of Jean de la Fontaine - Fussy Joe, the kind of amoral charmer and lady-killing sponger I praise myself lucky only to know from stories and of which I hope my daughter will never meet or if so will avoid like the plague. I am not sure yet if I would read Ekwensi’s most renown and highly praised novel Jagua Nana - maybe I’d rather revisit Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, which in a sense could be seen a counterpart to Glittering City, addressing the roles of and relations between men and women in Nigeria as told from a woman’s perspective, and which, to be honest, impressed me far more than this.
O that restless, vibrant and tempting big town life that with its bedazzling lustre and bustling energy sucks in gullible and innocuous newcomers, ingénues coming from the rural areas, young women falling into the ostensibly loving but actually preying arms of the night – a boisterous biotope where hagglers and scroungers thrive, men like Fussy Joe, taking his stand at the station to seize his chance.
Set in the city of Lagos in the 1960s – the Glittering City from the title – this novella by the prolific Nigerian author Cyprian Ekwensi (1921-2007) - considered to be one of the fathers of the modern West African novel - was first published in 1966.
Basically it is a jazzy and slightly melodramatic story about the life and downfall of (depending on your point of view) an inveterate filou, or rather a voyou, a trickster with some thuggish features, dancing through life swindling in shady businesses and playing the trumpet in night clubs, lying and deceiving all and sundry, also his wife and son, his fellow musicians, gallivanting from one mistress to another flirt, seducing and exploiting these women with a smile.
The hectic, fast-paced rhythm, the fine evocation of the lively chaos, intensity and noise of the city and the seamy nocturnal nightclub atmosphere together with some scenes reminiscing of Godard’s A bout the souffle are what gives the story a cinematic tone and dynamic feel; somewhat irking were the blind adoration of the women for this windbag of a protagonist, making fools of themselves by flying at each other because of him, and I have to admit I was unable to sympathize with the protagonist starring in his empty life, his irresistible attractiveness as depicted by Ekwensi left me cold. I see little more in him than the proverbial grasshopper from the fable of Jean de la Fontaine - Fussy Joe, the kind of amoral charmer and lady-killing sponger I praise myself lucky only to know from stories and of which I hope my daughter will never meet or if so will avoid like the plague. I am not sure yet if I would read Ekwensi’s most renown and highly praised novel Jagua Nana - maybe I’d rather revisit Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood, which in a sense could be seen a counterpart to Glittering City, addressing the roles of and relations between men and women in Nigeria as told from a woman’s perspective, and which, to be honest, impressed me far more than this.
February 10, 2019
Whilst perusing a new African bookshop here in Berlin, I picked up Glittering City by Cyprian Ekwensi. Yes, I'm a cheap hoe, and no, I don't have any regrets. My two bucks were very well spent on this book. Even though I didn't care much for the story, I'm definitely interested in Cyprian as a writer and cannot wait to pick up Jagua Nana next; I just need to finish Achebe's African Trilogy first, no biggie, right? This is the reason why I appreciate Penguin for including and publishing diverse and forgotten-about voices, and thus making them more accessible to the public. I would have never heard of Cyprian Ekwensi without Penguin's new Mini Modern Classics series, and that's a damn shame.
Whilst Chinua Achebe is generally praised as the father of modern African literature, most people don't know other African writers, let alone of the fact that Achebe really wasn't the first African writer to publish to international acclaim. Cyprian Ekwensi was born in Nigeria in 1921, the son of an elephant hunter. In early life, he worked as a forestry officer in Nigeria and as a pharmacist in Romford, Essex. On returning home, he wrote his first novel, People of the City (1954), which was one of the first Nigerian novels to be published internationally. Jagua Nana, his most famous book, appeared in 1961 and won the Dag Hammarskjöld prize in literature, though it was banned in schools and attacked by the church. In later life Ekwensi worked in broadcasting, politics and as a pharmacist, while writing over forty books and scripts. He died in 2008, survived by his wife and nine children.
Set in 1960s Lagos, Glittering City follows Fussy Joe, an untrustworthy and manipulative Jazz player, who makes a living by feeding off his various love affairs and living on the edge. He takes naive women from the villages under his wing in hopes of sex and a fun time, by introducing them to the buzz of the city and the exciting night life. He doesn't seem to have one serious thought in his life, and he doesn't bother about anything. And even though Fussy Joe gets more depth to him as the story moves along, he remained a highly flawed and unlikeable character.
I found it very interesting how Cyprian Ekwensi juxtaposed Fussy Joe's way of life ("Forget all your fears now. Have a fling this night.") with the more reasonable voices of the women in the city ("He doesn't bother if his wickedness spoils your whole life."); I never had the feeling that Fussy Joe's questionable actions were romanticised, hell, often he was downright called out for being deceitful, tricky and untrue, but he was still presented as a charming figure, which I found kind of off-putting. Throughout the narrative I never understood why all of these women fell for him, as he didn't have any money and was never one to stick around.
Furthermore, Glittering City was a very ambitious short story as it tried to depict not only Fussy Joe's life in Lagos, but also the events that eventually led to his downfall. And, not gonna lie, I found the ending hella satisfying ("Only the man Joe was left; and he was not man at all.") but I thought the means that Cyprian chose to get their were kind of rushed and cheesy. When all of his shady activities come down on him and he even has to flee from the police, the whole flight was very over the top and its fatal ending, too.
Nonetheless, I am incredibly happy this short story introduced me to Cyprian Ekewnsi as a writer, as I really enjoyed his writing style. I was incredibly impressed by how well the story flowed (even though it did have some pacing issues) and just how agreeable I found his way of expressing himself. There are volumes in the Penguin Mini series that took me ages to read because the writing was just way too dense, but I managed to read Glittering Cit during one train ride; that's a good sign!
Whilst Chinua Achebe is generally praised as the father of modern African literature, most people don't know other African writers, let alone of the fact that Achebe really wasn't the first African writer to publish to international acclaim. Cyprian Ekwensi was born in Nigeria in 1921, the son of an elephant hunter. In early life, he worked as a forestry officer in Nigeria and as a pharmacist in Romford, Essex. On returning home, he wrote his first novel, People of the City (1954), which was one of the first Nigerian novels to be published internationally. Jagua Nana, his most famous book, appeared in 1961 and won the Dag Hammarskjöld prize in literature, though it was banned in schools and attacked by the church. In later life Ekwensi worked in broadcasting, politics and as a pharmacist, while writing over forty books and scripts. He died in 2008, survived by his wife and nine children.
Set in 1960s Lagos, Glittering City follows Fussy Joe, an untrustworthy and manipulative Jazz player, who makes a living by feeding off his various love affairs and living on the edge. He takes naive women from the villages under his wing in hopes of sex and a fun time, by introducing them to the buzz of the city and the exciting night life. He doesn't seem to have one serious thought in his life, and he doesn't bother about anything. And even though Fussy Joe gets more depth to him as the story moves along, he remained a highly flawed and unlikeable character.
I found it very interesting how Cyprian Ekwensi juxtaposed Fussy Joe's way of life ("Forget all your fears now. Have a fling this night.") with the more reasonable voices of the women in the city ("He doesn't bother if his wickedness spoils your whole life."); I never had the feeling that Fussy Joe's questionable actions were romanticised, hell, often he was downright called out for being deceitful, tricky and untrue, but he was still presented as a charming figure, which I found kind of off-putting. Throughout the narrative I never understood why all of these women fell for him, as he didn't have any money and was never one to stick around.
Furthermore, Glittering City was a very ambitious short story as it tried to depict not only Fussy Joe's life in Lagos, but also the events that eventually led to his downfall. And, not gonna lie, I found the ending hella satisfying ("Only the man Joe was left; and he was not man at all.") but I thought the means that Cyprian chose to get their were kind of rushed and cheesy. When all of his shady activities come down on him and he even has to flee from the police, the whole flight was very over the top and its fatal ending, too.
Nonetheless, I am incredibly happy this short story introduced me to Cyprian Ekewnsi as a writer, as I really enjoyed his writing style. I was incredibly impressed by how well the story flowed (even though it did have some pacing issues) and just how agreeable I found his way of expressing himself. There are volumes in the Penguin Mini series that took me ages to read because the writing was just way too dense, but I managed to read Glittering Cit during one train ride; that's a good sign!
August 13, 2022
[2.5] Set in 1960s Lagos, this is a tale of the life and downfall of Fussy Joe, who compulsively engages in sexual affairs. Although clearly written, with a steady pace, I found Joe and his adventures mostly tedious.
December 26, 2023
Do love a good ol’ story about trashy men suffering the consequences of their own actions but he didn’t suffer enough for my taste unfortunately. It was fun, a pretty book, but I should know better than to think I would enjoy reading about a man.
March 30, 2024
Penguin Modern 32/50
Unremarkable and puerile story of a man called Fussy Joe and his debauchery. It's not awful or offensive, it's just a really basic, predictable story lacking any clear sense of substance, style, or message.
A 1* review by my rubric means I cannot recommend the book to anyone, and that is the case here, but more because it presents nothing rather than it fails at a great idea or offends. Who must read this or would particularly love this... I simply cannot imagine who? I think most of us wrote 'better' stories than this in school, by varying interpretations a story can be 'better' that come now to my mind.
The fact this is in the Penguin Modern boxset boggles my mind. Are the Penguin Moderns a collection resembling anything other than a semi-random group of writers in the 1900s with a deliberately balanced distribution of race and gender (and literary culture, maybe)?
This book was like a terrible and radically simplified version of Charles Bukowski's writing, and yet I feel Bukowski would never make a classics series because of his white American identity and his more bluntly sexist perspective.
Unremarkable and puerile story of a man called Fussy Joe and his debauchery. It's not awful or offensive, it's just a really basic, predictable story lacking any clear sense of substance, style, or message.
A 1* review by my rubric means I cannot recommend the book to anyone, and that is the case here, but more because it presents nothing rather than it fails at a great idea or offends. Who must read this or would particularly love this... I simply cannot imagine who? I think most of us wrote 'better' stories than this in school, by varying interpretations a story can be 'better' that come now to my mind.
The fact this is in the Penguin Modern boxset boggles my mind. Are the Penguin Moderns a collection resembling anything other than a semi-random group of writers in the 1900s with a deliberately balanced distribution of race and gender (and literary culture, maybe)?
This book was like a terrible and radically simplified version of Charles Bukowski's writing, and yet I feel Bukowski would never make a classics series because of his white American identity and his more bluntly sexist perspective.
September 5, 2018
In Cyprian Ekwensi's short story, 'untrustworthy, charming Fussy Joe spins tall tales and breaks hearts in this rollicking story set in the "sensational city" of 1960s Lagos.' First published in 1966, reading Glittering City was my first taste of Ekwensi's work. I found that the opening descriptions of person and place helped to set the tone of the whole, rather than paying too much attention to the scene. I did find that Nigeria was used barely at all as a setting, aside from several short and random descriptions of Lagos. I know that this is a short story, but I would have enjoyed more content like this within it.
Fussy Joe has depth to him, and comes across largely as an untrustworthy creep. When the story begins, he takes a young girl, who has arrived alone at the train station, back to his room in another part of Lagos. It is here that she begins to feel frightened: 'All of the tales she had heard about the bad men of the city came crawling back. They were the exciting stories they whispered after lights out in the boarding-house.'
I felt rather uncomfortable whilst reading parts of this story. Whilst I enjoyed Ekwensi's prose style, and found the whole well written and nicely paced, there were elements which detracted from my enjoyment. I did not like Fussy Joe at all, or his constant dishonesty; he tells various people that he is employed in all manner of different jobs, and has several women on the go at once.
Throughout, I could not quite tell in which the direction the story was going, and it did surprise me in a couple of places. There did feel at times as though there was too much going on in the story, and whilst I enjoyed some elements, others I felt indifferent to, or disliked altogether. I'm not going to rush to read any of Ekwensi's other work, but I would be intrigued to try another of his short stories at some point, just to see how it compares.
Fussy Joe has depth to him, and comes across largely as an untrustworthy creep. When the story begins, he takes a young girl, who has arrived alone at the train station, back to his room in another part of Lagos. It is here that she begins to feel frightened: 'All of the tales she had heard about the bad men of the city came crawling back. They were the exciting stories they whispered after lights out in the boarding-house.'
I felt rather uncomfortable whilst reading parts of this story. Whilst I enjoyed Ekwensi's prose style, and found the whole well written and nicely paced, there were elements which detracted from my enjoyment. I did not like Fussy Joe at all, or his constant dishonesty; he tells various people that he is employed in all manner of different jobs, and has several women on the go at once.
Throughout, I could not quite tell in which the direction the story was going, and it did surprise me in a couple of places. There did feel at times as though there was too much going on in the story, and whilst I enjoyed some elements, others I felt indifferent to, or disliked altogether. I'm not going to rush to read any of Ekwensi's other work, but I would be intrigued to try another of his short stories at some point, just to see how it compares.
February 24, 2023
Cyprian Ekwenski introduces us to Fussy Joe - a dodgy, lying, shady character living in 1960s Lagos. His purpose in life seems to be to serve himself entirely, to use others as pawns, and to cheat his way through life with a keen desire to wring as much enjoyment out of it, and other people, as he can. It’s truly chaotic.
Joe’s choices are often disparaged by other characters, mostly the women, and it was comforting to see a balance of morals within the pages. His immorality, of course, makes him unlikable from the beginning, and although I wished to see those he had wronged somehow avenged, his antics are engaging, sometimes amusing, but ultimately tragic.
A truly perfect introduction to Cyprian Ekwenski.
Joe’s choices are often disparaged by other characters, mostly the women, and it was comforting to see a balance of morals within the pages. His immorality, of course, makes him unlikable from the beginning, and although I wished to see those he had wronged somehow avenged, his antics are engaging, sometimes amusing, but ultimately tragic.
A truly perfect introduction to Cyprian Ekwenski.
February 8, 2018
Welcome to Lagos and here's Fussy Joe to welcome you to the city. If you're beautiful, young, female and alone, he'll take you under his wing, show you a good time that, more likely than not, will turn into a bad time for you, all while his wife and child sit at home waiting....
This short tome is packed with vivid depictions of the wild side of Lagos, with bars filled with dancing, drinks and laughter. A glossy, shiny, happy place, with a wafer-thin veneer, beneath which lies a seedy underbelly of disreputable petty criminals preying on the weak and vulnerable.
The women who fall for Fussy Joe's lies are a frustrating bunch. You'll find yourself screaming at the pages, "NO! Don't do it!!" over and over again. However, karma is lurking in the side streets, and as the net closes in around the wicked web he's woven, his day of reckoning is on the way...
This is a GREAT read. Totally loved it! Small but perfectly formed and filled with rich characters. I can't recommend this strongly enough!
This short tome is packed with vivid depictions of the wild side of Lagos, with bars filled with dancing, drinks and laughter. A glossy, shiny, happy place, with a wafer-thin veneer, beneath which lies a seedy underbelly of disreputable petty criminals preying on the weak and vulnerable.
The women who fall for Fussy Joe's lies are a frustrating bunch. You'll find yourself screaming at the pages, "NO! Don't do it!!" over and over again. However, karma is lurking in the side streets, and as the net closes in around the wicked web he's woven, his day of reckoning is on the way...
This is a GREAT read. Totally loved it! Small but perfectly formed and filled with rich characters. I can't recommend this strongly enough!
May 14, 2018
I get that this is a story that needs to be read in context.
I love that Penguin Modern has included a Nigerian author from the 60s in their collection.
And I'm sure I would've never come into contact with Ekwensi's work if it weren't for this little book.
Unfortunately, this was not for me.
The main character - a not very likable man-about-town roaming the city of Lagos - has been written for the reader to hate him. He's arrogant, he's a liar, he's manipulative. At the same time he seems to have his qualities because the women (and in time also the reader) fall for him.
The thing is, I found the prose pretty bland and the story a bit too linear. It's not a bad text, I just expected something a bit more exciting.
I love that Penguin Modern has included a Nigerian author from the 60s in their collection.
And I'm sure I would've never come into contact with Ekwensi's work if it weren't for this little book.
Unfortunately, this was not for me.
The main character - a not very likable man-about-town roaming the city of Lagos - has been written for the reader to hate him. He's arrogant, he's a liar, he's manipulative. At the same time he seems to have his qualities because the women (and in time also the reader) fall for him.
The thing is, I found the prose pretty bland and the story a bit too linear. It's not a bad text, I just expected something a bit more exciting.
January 13, 2024
The writing was nice and the story in itself - the downfall of an untrustworthy, scheming man who used others, especially women, for his advantage - was alright. What irritated me though was the way those women he mistreated continued to treat him kindly, even blaming themselves for the mess he got himself into... Charming or not, he didn't deserve their sympathy.
December 10, 2022
A serial philander and general small time conman finds out that hell hath no wrath when some of the women he had misled meet each other and take matters into their own hands. A good introduction to this author.
June 5, 2021
1960s Lagos in clean prose. Short read, memorable characters.
May 22, 2022
i strongly disagree with Essi’s last remark because from an emotional point of view it doesn’t make sense, unless I am missing something here. regardless, this short story was marvellous. what a writing style! what a tremendous writing style. i have not enjoyed such good writing style in a few months, it feels like savouring the first sweet grape of after a season of sour.
July 22, 2018
Out of all of the Penguin Mini Moderns that I’ve read so far, this one feels the most complete. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, we follow the life of Fussy Joe, a musician who lives life to the full. I enjoyed it.
May 20, 2018
The bustling Lagos is the wonderfully realised setting for this kaleidoscopic tale of Fussy Joe, a wide boy and philanderer extraordinaire. Trailing him through his increasingly complicated love-life, one gets the sense that the city is just not big enough for him. Joe is a trumpeter and I imagined this with a wild jazz soundtrack behind it throughout. It creates quite a spell.
November 9, 2018
“Forget all your fears bow. Have a fling this night.”
A story about a man named Fussy Joe or a typical worthless human being, who likes to play with women’s hearts and women who are not smart enough to see through his bullshit. Glad, he did bit get away. First book from this author. Pretty good!
A story about a man named Fussy Joe or a typical worthless human being, who likes to play with women’s hearts and women who are not smart enough to see through his bullshit. Glad, he did bit get away. First book from this author. Pretty good!
December 21, 2019
Glittering City starts off reasonably well introducing us to Fussy Joe, a complete cad who cheats and lies his way around town and around women. We meet the lovely Essi and watch their interaction as well as Lilli the mother of his child. The language is simple although there are a few anachronisms that take you out of the story and you get caught up in 1960’s Lagos. Unfortunately the story turns into a kind of action movie with car chases and histrionics towards the end which seems strange in such a short tale but I would happily try something else by Ekwenski.
July 25, 2023
Glittering City is a story about Joe, a man from Lagos in Nigeria, who very much likes women and taking advantage of them.
I think this was a very good story. It was definitely a great introduction to Ekwensi's writing, and I will absolutely be reading more of his. The story depicted Nigeria in a very different way than what you're used to, and I think that's very interesting. There were a few places during the story where it lost me a little bit, but nothing major.
4 stars.
I think this was a very good story. It was definitely a great introduction to Ekwensi's writing, and I will absolutely be reading more of his. The story depicted Nigeria in a very different way than what you're used to, and I think that's very interesting. There were a few places during the story where it lost me a little bit, but nothing major.
4 stars.
November 2, 2018
To qoute Lurch in the Addams Family...
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrr"
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrr"
March 10, 2023
For me this story is all about the ending. The whole tale is a lead up to how we are immortalised as saints in death. Very clever.
I really enjoyed the setting of this book, the descriptions of the heat and bustle of Lagos were fun to read about.
I didn't altogether love the writing style, it sometimes came off as overly deliberate but I'm nit-picking.
I really enjoyed the setting of this book, the descriptions of the heat and bustle of Lagos were fun to read about.
I didn't altogether love the writing style, it sometimes came off as overly deliberate but I'm nit-picking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2025
karma is a hell of a thing
August 9, 2025
2.5/5
June 10, 2020
I bought this mint colored cutie during my last travel adventure in a lovely book shop in Venice. I love travelling and I wanted to start the tradition to always bring a tiny book along with me to future travel destinations, leave a little note in it and send it off to other travel readers or maybe local readers by placing it in a cafe, free library or a hostel/ hotel etc. But who knows when a next trip is going to happen? Who knows if this book will be able to fulfill its purpose?
I decided to read it now anyway (since my reading attention is a complete disaster zone I wanted something short and contained), hoping I can still pass it on to a traveling stranger one day. "Glittering City" intrigued my in the first place because I like stories with strong settings and this promised a look at Lagos (by the way, I really appreciate that Penguin ventured out of the traditional frame of British and American (and maybe Russian) Classics by looking at world literature a bit. More of that! This is such a great format to introduce oneself to classics from lesser represented countries). While I read stories set in Lagos before, this reminded me that Nigeria has an interesting and buzzy literary scene that I should look into a bit more.
The story in here is solid, its's fine, but I honestly doubt it will stick with me. I liked Ekwensi's writing though, it has a certain 60's charme that I sometimes like (on the flipside it was also a book of its time in the lackluster portrayal of the female characters). The story is filled with vibrancy, night lights and city air: I really enjoyed that. The main character Fussy Joe, a trumpet player in a Lagos night club, is the kind who has a woman in every part of town and makes his path on little scams and tricks until he meets his final downfall. I am not saying this story is without appeal but it wasn't enough to fully captivate me. I found the gullible women a bit hard to believe, how much they all just loved him no matter what he ended up doing. But the pacing and the vibe are good, so overall I have no hard feelings towards this but part of me thinks it might have worked better as a full novel with more layers and details. Then again, I am not sure I want to read a whole novel about a womanizer...
I liked getting out of my comfort reading hole with this, I need that once in a while and who knows, who ever I will end up giving this book to might gain a lot more from it than I did.
I decided to read it now anyway (since my reading attention is a complete disaster zone I wanted something short and contained), hoping I can still pass it on to a traveling stranger one day. "Glittering City" intrigued my in the first place because I like stories with strong settings and this promised a look at Lagos (by the way, I really appreciate that Penguin ventured out of the traditional frame of British and American (and maybe Russian) Classics by looking at world literature a bit. More of that! This is such a great format to introduce oneself to classics from lesser represented countries). While I read stories set in Lagos before, this reminded me that Nigeria has an interesting and buzzy literary scene that I should look into a bit more.
The story in here is solid, its's fine, but I honestly doubt it will stick with me. I liked Ekwensi's writing though, it has a certain 60's charme that I sometimes like (on the flipside it was also a book of its time in the lackluster portrayal of the female characters). The story is filled with vibrancy, night lights and city air: I really enjoyed that. The main character Fussy Joe, a trumpet player in a Lagos night club, is the kind who has a woman in every part of town and makes his path on little scams and tricks until he meets his final downfall. I am not saying this story is without appeal but it wasn't enough to fully captivate me. I found the gullible women a bit hard to believe, how much they all just loved him no matter what he ended up doing. But the pacing and the vibe are good, so overall I have no hard feelings towards this but part of me thinks it might have worked better as a full novel with more layers and details. Then again, I am not sure I want to read a whole novel about a womanizer...
I liked getting out of my comfort reading hole with this, I need that once in a while and who knows, who ever I will end up giving this book to might gain a lot more from it than I did.
April 24, 2021
Short and somewhat sweet, ”A Glittering City” is a tale based in 1960s Lagos, about the sweet talking, charming character called Fussy Joe. Across 50 pages we follow Joe as he tells tall tales, spins his web of lies and breaks heart across hustle and bustle of the then capital city of Nigeria.
First time reading some of Ekwensi’s work and I’m keen to explore some of his other works. This book is a whirlwind of an adventure following Fussy Joe and his escapades.
Fast paced, after reading this the events captured in this book feels like a bit of a blur. Part of me wishes it was a bit longer so we could get into the full depth of Joe and his character.
I decided to read this as part of the Penguin Modern Classics range, a mix of 50 short stories & essays. It didn’t really hit the mark with me but it was a quick read, a good find if you’re looking for something short and cheap...it was £1, so no regrets there.
3.2*
First time reading some of Ekwensi’s work and I’m keen to explore some of his other works. This book is a whirlwind of an adventure following Fussy Joe and his escapades.
Fast paced, after reading this the events captured in this book feels like a bit of a blur. Part of me wishes it was a bit longer so we could get into the full depth of Joe and his character.
I decided to read this as part of the Penguin Modern Classics range, a mix of 50 short stories & essays. It didn’t really hit the mark with me but it was a quick read, a good find if you’re looking for something short and cheap...it was £1, so no regrets there.
3.2*
June 19, 2020
Quite a sweet short story, about the downfall of liars and those who fall for them. Would be moralistic, yet is told with warmth for the flaws of the tale's characters, and with enough cinematic detail to imbue the characters with a fateful elegance and give poignancy to their self-deceit.
February 25, 2018
An engaging little novella. A nice sample of this author's work. It's warm, populated by interesting characters and rattles along. Good fun.
October 13, 2020
Bacaan sekali duduk. Ceritanya seputar womanizer yang akhirnya berakhir tragis hidupnya karena mau kabur dari polisi.
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December 30, 2020Probably the first disappointment in this series - reading this did not leave any trace in me, although structurally could be interesting.
January 10, 2025
For some reason, I didn't like the characters at all, couldn't really sympathize with any of them, so the only praise goes to the writing style and the pace of events
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 12, 2025I like a good conman story but no man is handsome enough to be worth that trouble.
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